Kanye West's planned Russia concerts cancelled, organiser says
MOSCOW: Two concerts by US rapper Kanye West in Russia that had been scheduled for October have been cancelled, the show’s organiser, Say Agency, said. West, who is also known as Ye, had been due to perform in St Petersburg. However, a week after the concerts were announced in mid-August, the venue due to host them said it had never signed a contract with the organisers, a separate Moscow-based…
Kanye West's planned stadium concerts in Russia have been officially cancelled after weeks of uncertainty. The concerts were scheduled for October 10th and 11th at the Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg. However, the venue had previously stated it would not host West, citing what would have been his biggest show outside of Russia since the 2022 Ukraine invasion.
Say Agency, the concert organizers, confirmed the cancellation via a Telegram post, expressing "sincere regret" and promising to issue an official statement regarding the project's status in the near future. Gazprom Arena revealed they never signed a rental agreement with the concert promoters, rendering the performances impossible at their location.
Complaints about West's antisemitic and pro-Nazi remarks, which he has since apologized for due to bipolar disorder, also contributed to the cancellation. Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, criticized the planned shows for glorifying Hitler. In 2025, West released a song titled "Heil Hitler" and sold T-shirts featuring swastikas.
Russian pro-war bloggers questioned whether the country should host an American artist while the US supported Ukraine. West has since performed in several European countries, but his Russian shows were not the only cancellations. Last summer, West's headline slot at London's Wireless Festival was cancelled, and his performances in Poland, Italy, and France were also called off.
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